The incipient mode of streamers in a dielectric liquid as a function of electric field

Many previous studies of electric breakdowns in dielectric liquids in point-plane geometry have examined the relationships among the breakdown structure (or speed) and the electrode geometry (point radius, gap length) and/or voltage. This paper explores the hypothesis that the electric field, not the geometry per se, is the determining factor in the incipient streamer structure in dielectric liquids. This work extends earlier work and explores the extent to which the processes that determine initiation and growth are similar. This paper makes it explicit that geometry and voltage are indirect factors in the pre-breakdown process, important only insofar as they determine the electric field in the liquid.